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Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr was the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, King of England, as well as the main protagonist of the novel The Taming of the Queen. The Taming of the Queen Katherine Parr was first introduced as a widow whom Henry had proposed to, and knowing that to refuse him would be fatal, she was forced to end her clandestine yet passionate love affair with Thomas Seymour. Due to Henry's reputation as a wife-killer, Katherine also started to suffer from chronic nightmares of being Saint Tryphine (a legendary female saint whose husband was also a wife-killer), and it was a chore for her to have to always pander to her spoiled, increasingly delusional husband. Her greatest emotional trial, however, was always having to conceal the inextinguishable torch she carried for Thomas. In the midst of all these turmoils, Katherine demonstrated her resourcefulness by indulging herself in the luxuries her royal status gave her, such as fine clothes, rich jewels, and even birds and clocks. She also befriended all three of her royal stepchildren (Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward), and went out of her way to be a good stepmother to them, to the extent where Henry complimented her on it, and even observed that it was because of her that he was able to see them as truly his children, and not just their mothers'. Last but not least, she pursued studies in languages and theology, and distinguished herself as not only an accomplished scholar, but also as a commendable female author who dared to publish in the English language (her book of psalms was published synonymously due to the sensitivity over religion, but a rare few who shared her religious beliefs recognised her as the author). Unsurprisingly, her relationship with Henry was tumultuous and almost fatal: in the beginning, he seemed to truly love her in his own particular way, and was frequently eager to dote on and pamper her with gifts, which led to her slowly but gradually developing an affection of sorts for him as well. Despite his love for control and his vanity, he appointed her to hold the court in his stead during his bouts of illness, and even appointed her as Regent of England when he went to war in France - a favour that shook Katherine to her core, for only Queen Katherine of Aragon had been granted that honour in days of old. Hence, Katherine was often torn between shame and guilt, pity and exasperation - despite all the favours he showered upon her, she could not love him in the passionate sensual way she did Thomas, and Henry's gradual descent into insanity and paranoia meant that she was always in danger, just like her predecessors before her. One of the greatest humiliations she had to endure as Henry's Queen was the constant comparison between her and Queen Jane Seymour (Prince Edward's biological mother). For instance, she was not allowed to wear Jane's pearls, and in the royal family portrait that Henry had commissioned, it was Jane who was pictured as Queen instead of her. Ultimately, Katherine realises and privately acknowledged to herself that King Henry loved only himself, and therefore he viewed all those who surrounded him as his natural enemies if they dared to disagree with him. When he finally passed away, she reflected that though she would mourn him for how he had cared for her, she would "celebrate her escape" from him. In fact, she went on to observe that with him gone, she would be free to read, write, and speak as she wished, and even marry for love, for "to be a free woman is to be both passionate and intelligent". Appearance "...She is indeed the fairest of many blooms..." "...You're the most beautiful woman at court, there's nobody even comes near you..." In The Taming of the Queen, though she was no longer young, Katherine was still an exceptionally beautiful and attractive woman: auburn-bronze hair, grey eyes, fair skin, and a voluptuous figure with a long neck. Category:Characters Category:English characters Category:Female Characters Category:Historical figures Category:House of Tudor Category:Queens Category:Tudor Characters